United Kingdom Manners
by BoxingWGV
Summary: Little Mac has his first professional boxing bout against Henry Jameson and gets taught a boxing lesson.
1. Chapter 1

NOTE: Henry Jameson is a character from Punch King: Arcade Boxing on the GBA.

Little Mac arrives at the boxing ring placed near the Tower Bridge in London. The weather was nice but this is his first professional boxing match and his opponent is an old-time veteran. Little Mac was facing Henry Jameson, who lives in the UK and even though he is old, he can still pack a punch. Both men walk towards the middle of the ring.

Henry Jameson: "What Ho! Some new blood! Let's see what you got, young man."

Little Mac noticed how friendly he is. He touched gloves with Henry and the fight begins.

Due to his inexperience, Little Mac wasn't sure how to start this fight, so he decided to throw punches at Henry. His punches proved to be futile because Henry knew how to block each one that came to him. Little Mac is slowly tiring himself out but Henry dodged one of his punches and landed a hard right hook to Mac's jaw. Little Mac couldn't believe how hard it felt, it was the first time he ever got hit and it caused his head to go back as he closed his eyes and tried to register the smack. Henry saw how Little Mac looked like he was frozen in the pain he received, and as a gentleman, he chose not to follow up and let the young rookie have a moment to recover and get back into it. Little Mac rubbed his jaw and started feeling a bit of sweat flow through his body since Henry's punch made him stop his wild attack and rethink about what he was doing. He decides to be defensive and not go on the attack. Henry takes note of this and decides to politely throw jabs at Little Mac as they move around the ring. Little Mac tried his best to block each jab but he took a wrong step with his left foot and once Henry noticed, he threw a right jab at Little Mac and tagged him on his cheek. Little Mac felt the pain and his feet felt stuck to the floor as Henry landed another right jab and two body shots until he stopped to give Little Mac a little bit of amateur mercy. The bell rang to end the first round. Both men walked back to their corners.

Little Mac slouched onto his stool. He was sweating a little and his hair was a little messed up due to the workout Henry gave him. He looked over at Henry.

Henry Jameson: "Your footwork could be better, but good show anyway!"

While Little Mac appreciated how nice Henry was being to him, he knew that he was taught a boxing lesson in the first round. Despite Henry's older age, Little Mac felt that he was vastly superior to him as a boxer with his experience and is worried about the second round coming up. In some ways, Henry finds Little Mac's look of inexperience to be cute and smiles at him. The bell rings and both boxers stand up from their stools.

The British boxer wants to teach the young rookie how to fight, so he turned up the pressure and kept throwing jab combinations to Little Mac's head and body. Little Mac tried his best to protect himself in this situation. He dodged the first three, then blocked the next two, but eventually got overwhelmed and received three jabs to his stomach and two more to each cheek on his face. The flustered Little Mac performed a clinch and hugged Henry Jameson to save himself. Henry merely smiled at him. He noticed how tired Little Mac looked and let the boxing beginner stay as long as he needed until he felt ready to continue the fight.

Henry Jameson: "Top hole, young man! This technique is best used for when you need to stop yourself from being knocked down."

Little Mac blushed at the lecture. He felt like Henry has taken him to school so far in this match. He eventually catches his breath and got off of Henry to continue. Little Mac tried to throw jabs of his own but his confidence is down when he sees Henry being able to block all of them. Little Mac got desperate and decided to throw a big uppercut at Henry. Henry ducked under it as Little Mac found nothing but air with the big force he put into the punch. The uppercut took a lot out of Little Mac and he felt so tired that he had to pant and put his arms down to rest. Henry throws his big three-hook flurry at Little Mac. Little Mac tried to block them but the first hook was strong enough to open up his guard and the next two struck Little Mac in the face. His left cheek and then his right cheek were stinging and he is reeled back to the ropes. Henry actually became a bit tired from performing his strongest attack but Little Mac was in worse shape. Little Mac has his arms slung over the top rope, his back touching them, and a lot of sweat dripping down his body. He stands there for a bit until he finally falls down on his knees, his first time being knocked down. Henry walks to the neutral corner and feels concerned about how Little Mac is faring right now. Little Mac is feeling a lot of pain in his cheeks and has his eyes closed but once the count reached 3, he tried to pull it together. He turned around and grabbed onto the ropes to pull himself back up by 6. Henry merely smiled at this, liking how Little Mac is still wanting to fight properly despite how much he feels like staying down. The fight continues. After seeing how much Little Mac was struggling, Henry decided to let the amateur come after him. Little Mac stood for a while to regain some of his breath and tried to punch Henry's body. Henry blocked the body blow and gave Little Mac a jab of his own to the gut. Little Mac became sluggish from the beating he's taken and was too slow to dodge the hand that pounded his body. He grunted at the smack his body took and Henry followed it up with two more jabs to the face, both landing on the right side of Little Mac's face. Little Mac tried to cover his head up with his arms, but Henry hit him with another body shot and then a left hook to the gut that caused Little Mac to fall onto his knees again. Henry walked back to the neutral corner. He feels bad about how Little Mac is doing, knowing that this is his first professional bout and he didn't want to embarrass him like this. Little Mac was out of it, breathing heavy until the count of 5, and barely got back up by 9. Henry saw that the rookie needed some time to rest. He was sweating heavy and can barely stay on his feet. With 30 seconds left in the round, Henry decided to not attack Little Mac and let him rest up until the next round. Little Mac stayed with his back to the neutral corner and had his arms slung over the top rope next to it as he took a moment to catch his breath and calm down. The bell rang and Henry petted him on the head before they went to their stool. Little Mac thought the gesture was nice but he felt a little embarrassed about it because he felt like a child in this fight.

Henry: "Not bad for a beginner, but you really need more practice."

Little Mac felt down about how he has been doing in this fight. Even with being young and in shape, he is still no match for Henry Jameson and the experience he has had from boxing. He begins believe that the United Kingdom must train their boxers very well, both inside the ring and their matters outside of it. He tries to prepare for the third round. He is slouched on the stool and despite his opponent being a lot older, Henry was in better shape and conditioning than he is.

The bell signals for the third round. Little Mac walks to the center but he is sluggish and his feet are sore from the exercise they've been through. Henry notices this and decides that it was best to defeat Little Mac here gently. He landed two body blows to Little Mac. Little Mac was too tired to move and his feet didn't feel like cooperating. He stood there with his arms by his side. Henry ducked down and delivered an uppercut to Little Mac's jaw. Little Mac was overwhelmed by this punch, so much that it actually lifted him off his feet, made him fly up into the air, and land back down on his back. Little Mac couldn't get back up and was defeated by knockout.

Moments later, Little Mac woke up. He feels down because despite his youth and energy, he got knocked out by someone much older than him and a boxer from another country too. Henry helped him up to his feet and gave him a pat on the back.

Henry Jameson: "Come back when you've trained more. I'll give you some pointers if you like."

Little Mac feels embarrassed. This was his first professional fight and he was defeated like an amateur. What a way to start his boxing career but at least Henry was being nice about it. He began to think highly of British boxers after receiving that beating. He decides to stay in the United Kingdom. He needs the experience of someone like Henry and he accepts the pointers offered.

Little Mac: "I do need more training...I didn't realize how tough boxers were in the UK. I need those pointers more than you realize."

Henry smiles.

Henry Jameson: "I'm glad to hear it, young man. I know this loss was hard but I'll help you learn how to improve your footwork and the manners we live by."

Little Mac listened, he wasn't kidding when he mentioned footwork. His feet felt sore after that fight. Henry made him sweat and gave him the biggest workout his young body ever had. Henry led the rookie to a locker room nearby so that he can shower after the fight they had. His body felt the pain as the water went down his gut and abs where he was punched. Once Little Mac finished his shower and put on some clothes, he left with Henry Jameson to begin his training in the United Kingdom.


	2. The Student

*Henry Jameson took Little Mac to his home in the UK, it looked very old fashioned. Since Mac was feeling his body get sore from the beating he received by Henry in the ring, Henry placed some bandages on him. Little Mac has a bandage on his right eyebrow, his left cheek, his jawline, and his abs. He also gave Mac some proper clean clothes fitting for the UK. Little Mac felt weird wearing them but he thought it came with the territory. They're both sitting down in the living room and having cups of tea.*

Henry: I'm sorry about your condition, young man. I made sure not to overperform, given your level of inexperience. We need to improve your footwork. Your muscles are nice and strong for a young boy such as yourself, but it was my experience and footwork that defeated you in our bout. I will gladly show you how you can become a better boxer.

Little Mac: Yes, sir.

*Little Mac feels humbled. He felt overwhelmed by Henry even when he showed mercy, he fears to imagine what would've happened if he wasn't so nice. He takes a sip of his tea.*

Henry: Dear boy, when we spar, you will need this. It will protect your head from heavy blows.

*Henry gives Mac a boxing headgear. Mac accepts it but feels really embarrassed since it truly makes him look like an amateur.*

Little Mac: I understand, Henry. I have a question. How did you become so strong? I honestly felt like I was dominated in our fight and your uppercut took me off my feet.

Henry: It was quite simple, young man. I only trained hard the right way and learned the fundamentals of boxing. The boxers here in the United Kingdom respect the sport and would rather perform the sport like gentlemen instead of being dirty. You're a beginner, but I am sure you will learn soon enough.

*They both continue to drink tea. Once they finished, Henry showed Little Mac his bedroom so that he can rest up. He also gave Mac some books about boxing to read up on.*

Henry: Study with these, young man. They can be very helpful in teaching you how to properly box with your stance and footwork. You can learn a lot from them. Try to sleep early so that you feel healthier in the morning. I recommend 9 PM.

Little Mac: Yes, sir.

*Little Mac looks at some of the books like a school student. Henry can't help but smile at how young Mac is behaving. When it was almost 9, Mac stopped and made sure to lay in his bed so that he may sleep at his bedtime.*


End file.
